The Mayors’ Institute on City
Design (MICD) hosted it’s twenty-seventh national session April 26-28, at
the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Following two days of
intensive consultation with design and development experts, seven U.S.
mayors returned to their cities, better equipped to create more livable,
beautiful, and vital communities. Participating mayors were each given an
opportunity to present for discussion design issues currently facing their
cities. During these discussions, mayors and resource team members worked
together to identify models and creative strategies for
success.

The most critical element of the
institute’s success is the dialogue between the mayors and resource team
and the mutual understanding of each others’ role in the process of city
design that comes out of that dialogue. Recognized this year with Federal
Design Award from the General Services Administration, the Mayors’
Institute gets to the heart of the issues by encouraging constructive
debate about design with the nation’s mayors, the chief architects of the
American city. According to Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness, "This was an
excellent experience. I was impressed with the experts’ ability to analyze
and discuss the alternatives. The Institute exceeded my expectations. It
provided me with ideas that are innovative and practical."

An initiative of the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Institute was established in 1986 and is
carried out through a partnership between the NEA, the U.S.Conference of
Mayors and the American Architectural Foundation. To date, over 460
mayors, representing all fifty states and Puerto Rico have attended and
taken home valuable advice on how to deal with difficult urban planning
and design issues. While mayors present different design issues from their
cities, many of the challenges are similar. As a result, mayors not only
bring back ideas for a specific project, they return to their cities
better equipped to serve as advocates for good design. Design issues
presented and questions addressed at the spring session
included:

Manchester, NH: The city would
like to make Hanover Street a cultural district and destination for
visitors, residents and users of a soon-to-be-built arena. What design
elements will draw pedestrians from the arena and what innovative
financing should be used to make improvements?

Pasadena, CA: A redevelopment
plan for East Colorado Boulevard is underway. How should the city get the
community involved in creating a sense of identity for the Boulevard and
what design elements should be included in the redevelopment
plan?

Fargo, ND: The City has
identified the Civic Center site as a redevelopment location targeted to
increase economic development downtown. How should the site be utilized to
enhance the existing downtown and future development?

Fort Collins, CO: A plan to
strengthen the physical connection between the downtown historic district
and the river corridor area is underway. How should the city engage the
property owners to come together on a plan for the area?

Palatine, IL: A redevelopment
plan for downtown focuses around a train station for commuter passengers.
How can the Village manage the design and development of this plan to
ensure that a successful, transit-oriented, mixed-use neighborhood
results?

Pittsburgh, PA: The East
Liberty Neighborhood is undergoing revitalization including new retail,
historic rehabilitation to many historic buildings and a new street grid.
How should new retail development be designed to support the entire
district?

Nashville, TN: Plans for
redevelopment and an urban/mixed use neighborhood in the Rolling Mill Hill
area will increase density and expand socioeconomic diversity. How should
the mixed-income housing be incorporated and what services are necessary
to support the intended residents?

Lincoln, NE: The Antelope
Valley Project is a six-year $200 million endeavor that will include
opening a stream channel with recreational opportunities, rerouting
existing roads and creating a new parkway. How should design and land-use
be addressed to meet the needs of recreation and traffic, and guide the
redevelopment of land along the parkway?

The next national session of the
MICD is scheduled for October 11-13, 2000, in La Jolla, CA. To nominate a
mayor to be invited to a future session, or for more information call
202-463-1390 or send email to: midcinfo@micd.org.